GTBank’s Customer Service Sinks Low, As Account Holders Decries Poor Treatment

Guaranty Trust Bank, one of the supposed leading new generation banks in Nigeria and unarguably one of the most patronised because of the introduction of fast, improved, and user-friendly internet banking system has reduced their efficiency in service, customer relations and ease of banking with them. It is therefore no longer the bank to vouch for when you have issues with your money in their custody as you will be given a long time of possible resolution of your issues, which will still likely be hanging or you end up giving up and moving on without your money.

At least, one member of a household in Nigeria then, had an account with Gtbank when their services were prompt and effective, during those glorious days. Gtbank had encouraged the little earners and savers to bank with them by introducing the zero balance account policy, this made any of GTBank’s banking hall branches Nationwide filled to capacity with those who wish to bank or do business with them anytime you visit the bank. What do you have these days? Sad, complaining and murmuring customers who either had a sore tale to tell or still going through bad customer relations or poor and ineffective service provision by a bank who was once dubbed the leader in ease of doing banking.

Babajide Obafemi, an over a decade customer of Guaranty Trust Bank who spoke with News Hub Mag, was not happy with the treatment meted out to him recently when his monies were deducted through the use of POS machine and were not returned for over two weeks.

Babajide had recounted how he wanted to buy fuel at a mobile filling station in Ogba area of Lagos, using the POS service on a faithful Wednesday morning while going to work. He said the machine was used four times, it declined all four times but he was debited all four times without getting value for the money that was deducted. Babajide further said, that he could not access the banking hall because of Coronavirus precautions but that he used all their social media handles and the GTConnect avenue, all he got was a promise to resolve under two to three working days but the issue nagged on for over two weeks.

He further said that this POS deduction without a prompt reversal was a child’s play to the different encounters he had experienced with the bank in the use of their internet banking system to purchase recharge cards which sometimes ends up in a fail transaction without his monies been returned. He also complained about various hidden and sudden charges and deductions from his account.

Mr Onaolapo Olalekan is another victim of this POS decline fraud. He on his part was travelling to Lagos from Ilorin where he decided to buy fuel at a filling station in Olorunsogo, Gaa Akanbi area before setting out on his journey. Onaolapo recounted how the POS debited him and took away his twenty-one thousand nairas since 4th of August 2020 without reversal. He said he had exhausted all avenues of communication and entreaties, despite the fact that he has all his evidence in the document with him, up till now, the issues have neither been resolved nor his money sent bank to his account. What a shame!

Olawole Olusheye, one of GTBank’s long-standing customer revealed his plans to close his account with the new generation bank once it is safe to properly use the banking hall, he lamented on how lowly he had been treated severally by the bank without a feeling of remorse or a change in the attitude of the bank. He said he had taking to twitter severally to openly complain about these shoddy treatments before most times the issues are resolved after a long wait. He said as it stands now, he feared using GTBank’s ATM card on other bank machines or POS because of his untoward experiences with them.

One sad trend that News Hub Mag noticed about these new generation banks especially GTBank is that despite the fact that they encourage customers to go cashless, they have refused to upgrade their cashless internet transfer modules, thereby making customers who are supposed to enjoy the ease of banking with them go through untold hardship, especially at the end of the month when they do account reconciliations. During this period, News Hub Mag noticed that it will be easy to pass through the eye of a needle than using any of GTBank’s internet banking avenues or use their ATMs on other banking platforms or even use the point of sales service machine [POS].

While even the old generation banks are upgrading and moving up, one wonders why GTBank is grossly declining in service and customer relations.